One for the Road
by Neev
Summary: It's been twelve years since the Blitz Team first won the Royal Cup. Things are changing for all the people who battled back then, but some people are having trouble accepting it. Focuses on Jack Sisco and Bit Cloud.
1. Warnings

Title: One for the Road  
  
Author: Neev  
  
Rating: Pg-13  
  
Warnings: None really, unless you object to kind of bitter-sweet, sappy fics. Possible shounen-ai later, though if it does show up it will be very light and probably very easy to ignore if you don't go for that sort of thing.  
  
Summary: It's been ten years since the Blitz Team first won the Royal Cup. Things are changing for all the people who battled back then, but some people are having trouble accepting it.  
  
Notes Beforehand: First of all, I didn't know the ages of any of the characters during the series, so I just estimated. However, since this is set twelve years after the series, everyone is considerably older. For reference:  
  
Bit: 29  
  
Jack: 41  
  
Tasker Sisters: You should know better than to ask ladies their ages. Probably about the same as Bit though.  
  
Of course, there are others, but they aren't really important.  
  
Secondly, since it's hard to find Zoids info on the net, I've made a few guesses as to how things work. (Zoid's battle systems, the battle "seasons," and some of the long-term effects that piloting a Lightning Saix might have on its pilot, mostly.) I've done my best to base them off fact and make logical guesses, so I guess it works out well enough. However, if there is anything blatantly wrong or anything like that, please email me so I can correct it.  
  
----  
  
It was the adrenaline rush that had always driven Jack to battle, the feeling of pure power in his hands once he touched the controls of his Zoid. Power totally under his control, power to do whatever he wanted if he were quick enough and smart enough to make it happen. So far, he almost always had been. He was perfectly at home with the rush and speed of battle, the flow of it, the pure and beautiful symmetry of it all. Strike and counter-strike, or more often, strike and instant death under the claws of his Lightning Saix. Everything so quickly that it all became a blur of split-second emotions and reactions. No time to think really, just time to do.  
  
In the twenty-five years that he had battled, never had he wanted for a battle to be over. Never had he been profoundly glad that a battle was…over…finished…done. And yet, as his hands, slow and trembling ever so slightly, finally released their death grip on the controls of the Lightning Saix, Jack Sisco felt nothing but exhaustion and relief that it was finally finished. So much exhaustion that he could barely bring himself to move even to get back to camp. And that scared him. It scared him in a way that shot past his brain almost entirely and went straight to his body. It made him feel sick inside, twisting in his insides like some horrible beast.  
  
----  
  
The Lightening Saix moved into the campsite slowly and settled down into its spot next to the other two with less than its usual grace. Jack's hands rested on the controls with the same competent firmness as always but his movements were tired…sloppy. He knew they were but he didn't care. It had been a hard battle for the whole team and Jack was tired beyond all belief – even his own. He wasn't sure how he was still moving, beyond the fact that he refused to let himself collapse were he was. That would be far to embarrassing. He could never face the Tasker sisters again if that happened.  
  
His whole body ached though. Even his eyes hurt, making it hard to focus on the screen in front of him. He sat back in the seat of his Lightning Saix as the Zoid's command system shut down and shut his eyes, which didn't seem to help them much. At least he didn't feel so light-headed any more. He'd felt stuffed with cotton by the end of the battle, which was certainly not normal. Well, hadn't been normal. The last few battles the Lightning Team had fought had been more taxing on him than usual and he'd finished feeling light-headed and tired more than once. This last battle had been the worst by far though. He'd never felt so utterly drained before. He suspected that he knew the reason, but he didn't really want to think about it. It was too painful to think of such things.  
  
The cockpit of his Lightning Saix opened with a smooth swish sound. Jack left the cockpit with more care than normal, even so his legs seemed to feel the shock of hitting the ground more keenly that usual. He straightened up and turned to look up at the Lightning Saix. It wasn't too far up, only a ten-foot jump from the machine's cockpit with it crouching down as it was. He'd never felt the jump before. Had it always been that way and he was only noticing it now? He couldn't tell.  
  
Jack's eyes narrowed as he continued to look up at the machine, then he turned and stalked away into the tiny camp with a frown on his face. They had won their battle against the Feuer Team but Jack felt strangely detached from it. He was never one for excess shows of emotion, but he couldn't even bring himself to get excited at all from the defeat of the other team. He should have been excited after all. The Feuer Team was an S class team trapped in A class due to a stroke of bad luck at the last Royal Cup. To beat them was a big accomplishment, even for the Lightning Team. And yet, Jack felt tired more than anything else. He was happy at their victory to be sure, but exhaustion and a sort of nagging worry that sat in the back of his mind and refused to go away till he acknowledged it overshadowed the victory. He refused to acknowledge that worry though, making himself believe it was a passing thing.  
  
"Jack!" It was Kelly, seated on a tiny campstool by the small fire that had been set up. The fire crackled merrily and a pot of water for the tea was already bubbling slightly. Jack wondered just how late he was getting back to camp.  
  
"You look beat, Jack," Kelly commented. "Want some tea? It'll be ready in a few minutes."  
  
Jack shook his head. "No, I'm going to go take a nap," he told her, turning to leave. Kelly shrugged pragmatically and reached over to take the pot off the fire.  
  
"Okay, whatever," came the reply. Then she laughed suddenly and Jack stopped and turned back to look at her. "Hey, Jack, you aren't getting old are you?" Her voice was teasing but Jack winced at her words all the same.  
  
"God forbid," he murmured as he headed off towards his tent.  
  
Ducking inside his tent and pulling the flap shut a moment later, Jack was very tempted to just lie down and sleep. His bed called to him, but he made his way to the back of the tent where he had a small, makeshift table up to hold his few belongings. He was almost afraid to pick up the tiny shaving mirror that lay on the table, but he did so anyway. A pale face – even more so than normal – with bloodshot eyes starred back at him. Those same eyes opened wide as Jack continued to stare at the almost ghost-like reflection of his face.  
  
Jack sat down on the edge of his cot, hunched over with his elbows resting on his knees and the tiny mirror clutched between his hands. The blood shot eyes were an effect of high G-forces on the body. Tiny capillaries in the eyes burst under the pressure, an annoying but not really threatening condition. The paleness was probably from exhaustion. Also annoying and also not truly serious. At least, most people would not have considered it serious. Jack's insides twisted with uneasiness at the sight of it though. He'd always prided himself on his ability to take the high G-forces and physical demand that came with using a Lightning Saix. From the first time he had used the machine, he had been perfectly at home with it. It was like a second skin to him, fitting with his body perfectly and effortlessly, right from the very beginning. Few could claim the same with any Zoid, let alone a Lightning Saix. Never before had he felt the ill effects a Lightning Saix could have on its pilot.  
  
He set the mirror back slowly, eyes still riveted on the pale image reflected in it. Was that pale, tired person in the mirror really him? Could he really be getting that old? He was only…forty-one? Yes, forty- one, far too young to be feeling like this after a battle.  
  
Jack gave a tired sigh and rubbed his face with his hands, trying to rub way the fatigue he felt. It didn't work and he fell back, making a tiny "oomph" noise as his back hit the thin mattress of the cot. Maybe he was just working too hard. They'd had three battles in as many days and A class teams were getting harder to beat. They had newer Zoids, newer weapons, and…younger pilots. The old teams that Jack remembered from only five or six years ago were fading away and the even older teams? Long gone for the most part. The Champ team had been dissolved several years back. Jack knew this only because it had made the news in the wake of the death of Harry's father, but he knew they weren't the only ones, just the most obvious. There were so many old teams that were leaving, yet were one fell, two sprang up to take their place. Zoid battling was bigger than ever. Not that Jack minded in the least. New suits and pilots meant new challenges in battle. His Lightning Saix might be old, but it was in perfect condition. There was only one person, even after all these years, who had managed to beat him twice. There was also only one team that Jack had bothered to follow the exploits of, following the Royal Cup ten years ago. The Blitz Team. He hadn't heard anything about them lately though. As he began to drift off to sleep, he wondered about that…  
  
----  
  
The sun had almost set; it's brilliant show of colors in the clouds beginning to fade away into dark blues and purples. Rock formations in the distance had become black silhouettes, back lit by the last tiny sliver of the sun. To the west a few stars could already be seen in the darkened sky. The tiny camp that the Lightning Team had made was so far from any sort of civilization that there were no lights to blot out the stars, each one seemed clear and sharp, getting more distinct as the twilight faded into true night.  
  
"Where in the hell is Jack?" demanded Chris Tasker. The fire cast flickering shadows across her face as she looked around the silent camp. The huge shadowy shapes of the three Lightning Saix loomed up off to her left. Near them stood their two tents, both of them silent and dark. "He's supposed to stand guard tonight."  
  
"I don't know, I haven't seen him since the battle," replied Kelly. She poked at the burning wood with a stick, stirring up the fire and causing it to flare up slightly. "Did you check his tent?"  
  
Chris glanced over at her sister, looking confused. "No, why would he be there? He's never there."  
  
"I saw him right after the battle. He said he was going to take a nap," explained Kelly. Chris frowned.  
  
"A nap? Since when does he sleep?"  
  
Shaking her head in bafflement, Kelly just shrugged. "I don't know. I wonder if he's feeling okay…" She glanced over at the silent and apparently unoccupied tent.  
  
"He couldn't possibly have slept this long. It's been nearly six hours since the battle," said Chris as she rose from the ground. She too looked over at the tent as she idly brushed some dirt off the back of her pants. "I'll go check though."  
  
Jack was always very protective of what little private space he had and as such, Chris lifted the tent flap cautiously as she went to peer inside. However, her intrusion did not get an angry response or any response at all in fact. The inside of the tent was dark, but Chris could see enough to tell that there was in fact someone sleeping on the tiny cot and that someone could only be Jack. She stared at the form sprawled out on the cot for a moment, trying to get it to match up with her mental image of Jack. It didn't work.  
  
"Chris?" called Kelly, questioningly. Chris sat back on her heals, turned around slightly so that she could see her sister.  
  
"He's still sleeping, Kelly," she replied. A look of concern passed over Kelly's face, mirroring the expression Chris already had.  
  
"That's not good…" murmured Kelly. Chris could only nod in agreement. 


	2. Breakdown

One for the Road – Chapter 2: Breakdown.  
  
By Neev  
  
----  
  
"Jack! Breakfast is ready!" Kelly Tasker yelled in the general direction of Jack's tent. There was no response from Jack. Kelly glanced across the small camp table at Chris. Chris just shrugged.  
  
"He always is a bit hard to wake up," she commented. Kelly frowned and nodded.  
  
"Yeah, but…"  
  
"It just requires a little finesse," insisted Chris. She turned around and yelled at Jack's tent. "If you don't hurry the hell up, I'm gonna eat your food, Jack!"  
  
There was only silence from the tent and Chris turned back to her sister, beginning to look worried. Kelly was half way to standing up when there were sounds of movement from within the tent. There were some general grumbling sounds and Jack's voice floated out of the tent, as clam and controlled as ever.  
  
"Get your hands off my food, woman."  
  
Kelly grinned with relief and sat back down.  
  
"Get out here then!" yelled Chris in response to Jack's comment. She too looked relieved that Jack was apparently back to his normal self.  
  
Jack made his appearance moment later. He looked slightly rumpled but not, Kelly noted with further relief, as dead tired as he had yesterday. It must have been a passing thing then. At least, she certainly hoped it was. He seemed to be his normal self as he sat down the end of the table and swatted Chris' roving hands away from his portion of breakfast.  
  
"We have another battle today," said Chris several minutes later, once the trio had finished.  
  
"Already?" asked Jack. "They're just queuing up to be beat by us, aren't they?"  
  
"Yep. The Nightstalker team this time," Chris replied. "The battle is going to be late in the day, for obvious reasons."  
  
"Trying to give themselves an advantage, eh? They must be worried," commented Jack. He seemed totally unaffected by yesterday. The way he was acting it might as well have never happened. Kelly glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes, trying to tell if he was really feeling well or just faking it. Where those lines on his face signs of fatigue? Kelly couldn't tell. Jack had always been hard to read and today was no exception. Of course, that meant Jack was acting like he normally did, but then again he had been fine for most of yesterday too. Until after the battle. Kelly bit her lips, hoping her worries were unfounded.  
  
----  
  
The sun was setting as the two teams arrived at the battlefield. The clouds, dyed red and orange and yellow by the setting sun, seemed to be on fire. They seemed to be burning and melting into the red-orange of the rock formations off to the right side of the battlefield. Opposite to the rock formations and taking up over half the field was a thick forest. In the slowly fading light the leaves looked as if they had been dipped in gold and the whole forest seemed to almost glow. Between the forest and the rocks was a thin, 400-foot wide strip of mostly flat ground, dotted with rocks and a few small bushes.  
  
"What type of Zoids are they using?" asked Jack.  
  
"Ahh…Two Helcats and a Stealth Viper, I think," said Chris after a moment of thought.  
  
"They made a good choice of battlefield," commented Kelly as she surveyed the field from the open cockpit of her Lightning Saix.  
  
"Yeah, the forest may be a problem," Chris said, glaring in the general direction of the forest.  
  
"So we don't let them get to the forest," said Jack with a shrug. "We'll rush them when the battle starts and cut them off. They'll be easy to pick off if we can pin them against the rocks over there."  
  
"Right." Chris settled herself in the seat of her Lightning Saix and closed the cockpit. Kelly followed suit. For a moment Jack starred at the three suits that had just taken up their positions at the opposite end of the strip of flat ground, then he too closed the cockpit of his machine and prepared for battle.  
  
The judge capsule hit near the base of the rocks, midway between both teams. Jack grinned as he felt the shock of the landing shake the ground, traveling up the legs of his Zoid as a faint vibration. All thought of yesterday, or anything else for that matter, was gone as his mind focused on the battle about to begin. Nothing else in the world mattered.  
  
Long years of practice kept Jack from tensing up as the Judge deliver its little spiel. He watched it with eager, hawk-like eyes as he waited for it to finish. Even years of battling couldn't keep him from becoming excited though. If anything, his excitement was heightened. Adrenaline flooded through him as the Judge neared the end of its speech.  
  
"Ready? FIGHT!"  
  
The Lightning Saix were off and running in a split second. Long years of practice had made them a formidable team. They didn't need to talk to each other anymore; they knew their places and roles. Jack took the lead as the three machines sped across the flat in their customary single file line. There was a grin on Jack's face that was rarely seen off the battlefield. Jack knew his role all right. Nothing would ever change that. He didn't care about the suddenly light-headed feeling or the press of the high G- forces or the fact that he shouldn't have been feeling them as badly as he was. He was a warrior and he reveled in his battles.  
  
The three Lightning Saix headed along the edge of the forest as they neared their top speed, still in single file. The Nightstalker team was slower, but had less distance to cover and the two teams converged at the very edge of the forest. They were close enough to it that Jack could feel, very faintly, the occasional leaf-covered branch hit the side of his Zoid. Less than a dozen yards away from him the lead Helcat tried to escape into the forest. What a foolish thought from that pilot. Jack smirked and fired the twin beam cannons mounted on the back of his Zoid. The Helcat stumbled and jumped back, damaged but not out of the fight yet.  
  
The three Lightning Saix broke file as the other team retreated back into the flat land. Jack had to admit that the other team did work well together. The Stealth Viper covered the retreat of the two Helcats, while at the same time making another bid for the trees. Kelly broke away from the group to cut it off and Jack realized her mistake almost immediately, as did Chris.  
  
"Kelly! Don't slow -!" Chris cursed as her sisters Lightning Saix slowed to keep from overrunning the Stealth Viper. A few well-placed shots from the second, undamaged Helcat slammed into Kelly's Lightning Saix. It shuddered and slowly fell over on its side. Meanwhile, the Stealth Viper made its way into the forest.  
  
"I got the Helcats," yelled Chris over the comlink. Jack just nodded and turned his machine sharply and racing into the forest after the Viper. As he did so his vision began to blur for a second, going gray around the edges. Jack very nearly lost the Stealth Viper then, but he ignored the stab of panic that went through him and concentrated on navigating through the trees.  
  
Part of him was glad that he was in the forest though. The sun had almost set, making the tress indistinct and hard to travel through, forcing the Lightning Saix to slow down. He felt less light-headed now, allowing him to concentrate on the Stealth Viper, just barely visible through the trees on his left. The machines were on even footing now. The Viper could navigate through the forest easily without dropping its speed, while Jack was rather restricted. The equilibrium was only temporary though. The sun would set completely soon, allowing the Viper's infrared gear to come into play. Jack knew he had to get to the other machine before that happened.  
  
Then, fate seemed to step in. The trees ended suddenly and both machines burst out of the forest into a narrow strip of clear ground. They had come to the shores of a large lake secluded in the forest. Jack's grin turned predatory. It wasn't much space, but it was enough. The Lightning Saix turned, its feet crunching on the gravel of the beach, and headed towards the Stealth Viper. At the same time the Viper made a bid for the water, but Jack cut it off. The Lightning Saix was using more of its speed now and Jack was feeling light headed again, but he didn't care. Victory was almost his and damned if he was going to stop now.  
  
Seeing its first escape route cut off, the Stealth Viper spun and headed down the beach, with the Lightning Saix close on its heels. Jack fired the twin beam cannon at it but his aim was off – why couldn't he see straight? – and the Viper remained unharmed. Then, suddenly the Viper made a sharp turn and tried to head into the forest. Jack's eyes narrowed and he sped up, intent on cutting it off. The Lightning Saix came along side the Stealth Viper. Jack, hands clenched on the controls, grinned. He had the Viper now. It didn't matter that he was feeling dizzy and light-headed. It didn't matter that his vision was going dark again. He was going to win. Nothing else mattered. His eyes were narrowed with concentration, but still sparkling with anticipation as he wrenched the controls to the left in a sharp turn…  
  
And then, everything went black.  
  
The Stealth Viper came to a halt and its pilot watched with wide eyes as the Lightning Saix that had been about to demolish him crashed headlong into the trees. There was a sickening crunch and shrill metallic screech as the left leg of the Lightning Saix was sheered off by one of the trees. Inside, Jack, still unconscious, was tossed around like a rag doll in a gale and slammed against the side of cockpit. The machines own momentum carried it further though, carving a deep furrow in the sand and rocks of the small beach. It came to a halt lying on its side, looking like an animal gunned down by a hunter.  
  
----  
  
The first thing that Jack became aware of was the insistent beeping of the Lightning Saix's frozen command system. Then he became aware that someone was frantically shaking his shoulders and calling out his name. Slowly, Jack opened his eyes, trying to make sense of everything. Why was Kelly shaking him? And why was his command system beeping at him? And what about…  
  
"Jack!" Kelly attached herself to his neck in an awkward hug and Jack winced. His chest hurt horribly and she really wasn't helping much. Noticing his discomfort, Kelly pulled back, smiling with happiness, now that he was awake again.  
  
"What happened? The battle…" began Jack slowly. He felt tired and his brain didn't quite want to function. Kelly's smile slipped.  
  
"We lost."  
  
"What?" Jack tried to sit up and made a choked sound as pain exploded in his chest and side. He suddenly felt chokes and unable to breath. One hand pressed to his mouth, he doubled over in a fit of coughing that sent stabs of pain through his chest. Once it passed he leaned back in his seat; eyes closed and feeling utterly drained of any energy he might have had.  
  
"Jack…?"  
  
Jack opened his eyes and focused on Kelly again. It took more effort than he really liked to get his eyes to give him a clear image of Kelly's frightened face.  
  
"What?"  
  
"There's blood on your lips."  
  
"What?" Jack ran his fingers over his lips, feeling something warm and sticky there. He pulled his hand back and stared at the little spots of red on his fingertips. He stared for a long time, then his hand dropped to his side and he closed his eyes again with a tired, shuddering sigh. 


	3. Partings and Meetings

One For the Road – Chapter 3: Partings and Meetings

By Neev

A/N: Eh…yeah, this took a while to get out. Luckily, my beta-reader is a wonderful, patient person…who occasionally will throw rocks at my head to get my lazy ass in gear. At any rate, here's chapter 3, and chapter 4 should be coming along soon, with any luck

----

Jack's Lightning Saix was a mess. It was missing its right foreleg and had heavy damage on the right side. The head and front part of the underside were severely scratched from the machine's nosedive into the ground. Even if he'd been in any condition to pilot, Jack would have been quite unable to get it to move. In the end, the Tasker sisters simply moved their campsite to the edge of the lake once they had gotten Jack out of his Zoid and bandaged his broken ribs. 

The moon was high in the sky now, though it was only a faint glow behind the clouds. The Taskers' Lightning Saix stood vigil over their fallen brother, perfect twin monoliths, lit only by the flickering red light of the campfire. Jack was asleep and had been practically the second he had hit his mattress. The Tasker sisters were still sitting next to the campfire though, talking in hushed voices. 

----

Intense pain in his side was what pulled Jack back into consciousness. He was confused for a second, then finally realized that he had rolled over onto his wounded side in his sleep. With a small grunt of effort he rolled himself onto his back and stared up at the top of his tent. The normally dull orange fabric was brighter than normal, lit up with the rays of the morning sun. Faint shadows of leafy, wind-blown branches flickered into view every so often, like characters in a shadow play.

From outside came the sounds of early morning in the Lightning Team camp. The metallic clangs and bangs as Kelly made breakfast. The scrape and shuffle as Chris dragged out the camp table and the creaks as the table was set up. The low clatter of the metal plates as the table was set. A surprised yelp and answering laughter – that would be Chris burning her tongue on the coffee. All of it had become so familiar he realized. When had things become so set, so much of a routine that he could identify each in turn without even thinking about it? In years past he would have never stuck around long enough to become so familiar with such day-to-day things. 

Suddenly everything seemed so mundane to Jack. He wanted to get up and just run, just go. It didn't matter where, just so long as he broke all the ties that were holding him back. He couldn't though. His body was sore and his chest hurt. Breathing sent stabs of pain through him. The bandages on his chest made it hard to breathe. He felt constricted, claustrophobic. 

Panic began to well up in him. Not because of the bandages that wrapped around him like horrible constricting snakes, but because of what they represented. Breakdown. Old age. Death. If not physical death, then at least mental death of a sort. He wasn't ready for that! He couldn't be…couldn't be that old!

His breath came faster; blind panic seized his mind. The pain in his chest increased as it pressed against the white bindings harder with each breath. He was loosing control, he knew, but he couldn't do anything to stop it. He wanted to scream, shriek, and cry. He wanted to claw at his skin till it came loose and he could crawl out of it like a snake and leave it behind. Maybe then he could crawl into his Lightning Saix, his second skin, and stay in it forever. He couldn't bear the thought of ever giving it up. He wouldn't ever -!

With a strangled cry Jack desperately pulled at the bandages. He jerked himself up into a sitting position, clawing at the gauze strips. He couldn't think, couldn't breath. His throat was choked, his head pounded. The bandages broke under the onslaught, snapped and pulled away from his body. The now-loose bindings pooled around his waist.

Outside of the tent there was silence and Jack realized that Chris and Kelly must have heard his yelling. They couldn't see him like this! He pulled the bandages away and tossed them aside. Standing up was agony but he did so anyway and even managed to struggle into a tank top before staggering out of the tent.

The Tasker sisters were half way to Jack's tent when he came out. They stopped, staring at the pale figure standing just in front of the tent.

"Are you okay, Jack?" asked Chris.

"I'm fine."

Breakfast was eaten in silence. Under normal circumstances, Jack was never much for conversation. Now he concentrated on eating without aggravating his wounds. The Tasker sisters, normally more talkative, were silent as well. They kept glancing at Jack or each other. This went on for some time before Jack finally dropped his fork with a clatter and glared at both of them.

"_What?_" It came out more forcefully than he'd intended and he immediately regretted it. Both Taskers looked guilty and glanced at each other. Finally, Chris sighed.

"Jack…We think…We think it would be best if you left the team."

Jack stared at Chris in total shock.

"…Leave?" The voice was too small, too pathetic to be coming from Jack's mouth, and yet it was. He looked like he had been punched. His narrow, almond shaped eyes were wide. 

For once, the careful shield the generally calm, reserved man kept around himself had cracked and it was possible to see genuine hurt in his eyes. The moment of openness lasted for only a split second though, before being swallowed up by a defensive anger.

"We're worried about you, Jack," said Kelly softly.

"Why?" His angry gaze swept over the two women, daring them to give a reason. His chest hurt and his body was tense, trembling slightly from the tension of retaining control. He was at the edge now, tantalizingly close. He almost wanted to let go, to scream and yell at them, and let out all the frustration and painful, confusion emotions. He didn't though. He couldn't. As tempting as it was, such loss of control would have only made things worse and proved to himself that he really was breaking down. And he wasn't breaking down. He couldn't be. 

"Why?" he asked again. "Last night was only one night out of hundreds. I'm still the best damned Lightning Saix pilot and you know it." Kelly bit her lip and said nothing, but Chris refused to cowed by Jack's glare.

"Jack, you were coughing up _blood_ after the last battle," she shot back at him. "You can't do this to yourself anymore."

"So now I'm useless then?" growled Jack. 

"We aren't saying that you are, Jack, but…" began Kelly. Chris nodded in agreement, backing her sister up.

"But. Don't you dare say that! There is no 'but.' I can still battle. End of story." 

"You can't go on like this! Please, Jack…" Kelly rose from her place at the table and went to wrap her arms around Jack in a protective, motherly embrace. "It's not that we don't want you with us. We both care about you a lot. We don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I knew it was too good to last," murmured Jack. He neither rejected Kelly's embrace nor returned it, just sat there like a statue, staring at some far off point. Such sympathy was almost as bad as the affliction itself, but Jack knew that Kelly meant only good by it and let her hug him anyway.

"What, twelve years isn't lasting? How long must something go on for it to last?" scoffed Chris. She hadn't moved from her place at the table, but it was, in her own way, a show of sympathy, allowing Jack to retain a bit of pride and dignity instead of smothering him with even more unwanted affection.

"I don't know…"

"I bet you think forever is the only thing long enough. I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

Jack laughed softly, bitterly. 

----

"Hey! Jack! Long time no see!"

Jack, who had been staring morosely at the remaining contents of a cup of coffee, suddenly froze completely. His body went tense, sending a tiny stab of pain through him. Though nearly two months had gone by, his ribs still ached occasionally. His thoughts were on other things though as he forced his body to relax. There was only one person that voice could belong to. A person he'd never really expected to ever see again. And yet… his gaze drifted to the side to a worn pair of blue jeans with a red T-shirt tucked into them. His gaze traveled up and came to rest on a face. A very familiar face.

"Bit Cloud…it's been a while," said Jack by way of greeting. He had the same cool demeanor as always, but his eyes lit up at the sight of Bit. He was glad to see the man; glad to see a familiar face in a sea of younger warriors he couldn't readily identify. 

"Funny how these things happen," said Bit with a shrug and a grin. Twelve years had changed him, but it was still possible to see the cocky young Zoid warrior underneath it all. His hair was longer now, pulled back in a small ponytail. Though still nowhere near fat, he was a bit stockier, more muscular and mature. His eyes, though, were exactly the same. They were bursting with energy and vigor, full of an almost childish eagerness that was, Jack had to admit, almost charming. Bit was charismatic like that. You couldn't help but like him.

"Indeed," murmured Jack as Bit plopped down on the other side of the booth Jack had been monopolizing.

"So…" Bit leaned forward on his elbows, grinning. "How are the Tasker sisters? Last I heard, you three were still kicking people's asses in A class."

Jack flinched very slightly at the mention of the Taskers. His gray eyes grew cold, becoming closed off and distant.

"I wouldn't know."

"Oh?" Bit cocked his head to the side, eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. "Did you guys split up then?" 

"They seem to be under the impression that I'm too old to battle anymore and kicked me off the team for my own health," replied Jack. He tried to make his tone seem entirely unaffected by the turn of events, but a hint of bitterness made its way into his words nonetheless. Bit leaned back against the seat, looking sympathetic.

"Ouch."

"Ouch does not even begin to cover my feelings on that incident," muttered Jack. This time he didn't bother to try to hide the resentful anger that welled up in him at the mention of the Taskers.

"Yeah, I guess that would be pretty horrible. But you can just find another team, right?" Bit looked at Jack curiously.

"I suppose. I'm not sure I want to though. It was so easy to work with Chris and Kelly," said Jack. He took a gulp of his coffee and set the cup down with a distinct clink. "We were perfect together. We could beat _anyone_."

"Anyone but the Blitz Team!" amended Bit. He paused, looking embarrassed. "Oh…Heh…sorry. I guess I shouldn't gloat like that. It's just that we were amazed we beat you at all…"

Jack waved his hand dismissively. "No, it's all right. It's true, after all." He laughed softly, his eyes going distant for a moment. "I always wanted to battle you again to even the score a little. I suppose that's never going to happen though."

"Why not? I'm here right now, aren't I? The two of us can go at it one on one, just like we always do!" Bit had a wide grin on his face and his eyes flashed eagerly at the prospect of battling. He looked younger, appearing to be the exact same boy Jack had battled twelve years ago. It made Jack feel almost jealous to see Bit like that. No, he _was_ jealous of Bit in a way. Bit seemed to be untouched by the years. It wasn't fair. Jack desperately wanted to fight the younger man, show him – show everyone – that Jack Sisco was not down, and definitely not out.

"Fine." Jack stood, his gaze fierce as he looked at Bit. "We'll battle and this time I'll beat you."

"All right!" crowed Bit, jumping up form his seat. For a second Jack was struck by the strange dichotomy between the childish and the adult. Bit's whole expression was one of child-like glee, which would not have been so odd had Jack not been eye-to-eye with it. The height difference that had once been between them was gone now. Jack couldn't tell for certain, but he thought that Bit might even be taller than he was. It seemed odd that it should be that way. The Bit in Jack's mind was still the same one he had faced twelve years ago. Was the man standing before him the same person? He would have to find out.


End file.
